With a knot in her stomach, Kanroji Nanami hurried off to find her second-year upperclassman boyfriend. Obuchi Minami, Koizumi Natsumi, and Mori Kumi, guilt gnawing at them, slunk back to the classroom.
They were still rattled. It was too eerie—how did that Hayashi Maki guy know all their names? And he'd definitely show up after school to stand up for Katsura Kotonoha.
The three girls let out long sighs—already starting to fold. Some people only bully the soft and fear the hard.
Nanami was on the basketball team and a PE-track student. Her boyfriend was Kasannoin Kyouichi, a basketball senior in Class 2. Once she dragged him out, Nanami ran through what happened. Kyouichi's eyes bulged.
"N-Nanami-chan, is that Katsura the first-year's phone in your hand?"
He swallowed. Honestly, he'd wanted Kotonoha's contact info for a while—she looked easy to mess with; harassing her at night would be fun.
Nanami shot him a vicious glare and twisted the soft flesh at his waist. "So all you heard was that it's that slut's phone, huh? Don't even think about it—you're my boyfriend. What matters is you protecting me now. That guy said he's coming this afternoon."
Kyouichi pried her hand off his side and flashed a confident grin. "Relax, Nanami-chan. This is Shinya Academy. I'm the basketball club's vice captain. Some guy from another school dares come stir trouble here? Let him; I'm not scared."
He slipped an arm around her waist and pressed her to the wall. "But since we're here… not kissing would be such a waste of time."
She blushed and gave him a coy glare, then shyly shut her eyes. Kyouichi swallowed. She wasn't as pretty as Kotonoha, but Nanami was easier to handle. He'd wanted to try kissing for ages, but she'd always played coy—just waist-holding and hand-holding.
Heh. Now she needed him for protection. She'd have to obey.
He stopped hesitating, opened his mouth, and leaned in—
—and a sheet of fire covered his lips. Kyouichi launched straight up with a yowl, then clutched his mouth and writhed on the floor.
"AAAAHH—HOT—IT BURNS—WHAT THE HELL—?!"
Nanami jolted, legs shaking. "K-Kyouichi-senpai, are you okay? What happened? Are you alright?"
Rolling on the floor in tears, he wailed, "It hurts—it's melting—Nanami, your mouth is poisoned!"
Nanami was stunned. "What are you talking about? I just put on lip balm—how would it be poison?"
He could only suffer. She didn't dare get closer to that twisted face.
About five minutes later, Kyouichi lay there and lifted his hand from his mouth. Nanami yelped. "S-senpai—your mouth… it's terrifying!"
Scorched and swollen into a sausage-shape, his once delicate features looked monstrous, scaring Nanami half to death.
He had no energy to reassure her. He moved his lips weakly. "Nanami-chan… this is cursed. Please… call an ambulance—I'll die like this."
Then the pain overwhelmed him and he passed out. It wasn't only his mouth—another place throbbed with sharp pain. The thought of what that meant only deepened his fear—maybe in his "dream," too, the terror lingered.
Nanami frantically called an ambulance. Even after Kyouichi was taken away, she stood there glassy-eyed and dumbfounded. Wasn't he just about to kiss her? How did it turn into this? What the hell happened?
Her pocket buzzed. She looked down—Katsura Kotonoha's phone. Could it be… him? Impossible. Was a person capable of this?
Swallowing, Nanami pulled out the phone and tapped the screen. Thank goodness Kotonoha hadn't set a lockscreen, or she wouldn't even see the message.
Hayashi Maki: "That guy—Kasannoin Kyouichi, is it? I don't like the name 'Kyouichi.' Consider that just a little warning. Kanroji Nanami, if you're set on courting disaster, keep going. For bullying Kotonoha, I'll make sure you're properly taught a lesson."
Nanami's legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor. She fired back a message with trembling fingers:
Nanami: "Who are you? What did you do to Kyouichi-senpai? He's innocent!"
He was her boyfriend, after all; she cared.
Hayashi Maki: "If you planned to bully Kotonoha, none of you are 'innocent.' I didn't do much—just made sure your Kyouichi-senpai can never kiss or touch a girl again. A very light punishment, no?"
Nanami shuddered. Light? For a man—especially one into 'that'—it was worse than killing him.
Fighting down her fear, she typed carefully, hands shaking:
Nanami: "How did you do that? And where are you?"
Hayashi Maki: "One thought. I'm everywhere."
Nanami: "What are you… or what kind of existence are you?"
Hayashi Maki: "Not something you need to know. Kanroji Nanami, what you should consider next is how to quell my anger. Also—return the phone to Kotonoha."
Nanami: "I… I'll return it now. C-can I add you from my own phone?"
Hayashi Maki: "Why?"
Nanami: "You're going to punish me, right? At least let me be prepared."
Hayashi Maki: "Fair enough. Add me. I'll be watching. Now—how will you put out my fire, Nanami? I'm very curious."
He ended the chat. Nanami slumped to the ground. Katsura Kotonoha, if you'd said you had a boyfriend this terrifying, I'd never have gone near you. Poor Kyouichi-senpai—would he ever be a man again?
The image of his scorched mouth flashed in her mind; fear tightened in her chest. How would she be punished? And… was that guy even human?